The Media Center of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) has been producing Golden Angels music DVDs for 17 years--since 2004. Production was done in the Philippines, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Korea. When the Golden Angels visited mission fields to support evangelistic meetings, they usually had to stay there for 4-6 weeks, and after those meetings, the NSD media team joined them to shoot the music videos.
They have been distributed in the forms of DVD or USB, and many people’s hearts have been touched by the graceful and beautiful videos. It takes a lot of dedicated effort to create these videos.
Producing a music video generally requires a lot of supporting teams and staff, such as director, music director, director of photography, camera team, lighting team, makeup team, dressing team, graphic designer, and managers of the musicians. But for the Golden Angels music videos, four people–three producers/technicians of the NSD Media Center and I—do all things relevant to filming. These three PDs do not only handle only the camera, but also the lighting, camera drone, Jimmy Jib, and Gimbals, etc. A coordinator and an associate coordinator of the NSD Golden Angels Ministries lead the Golden Angels members.
In 2020, we have produced six music videos in several different locations. One music video was produced at a rented studio, two at the beach in the East Sea area of Korea, one at the Morning Calm Garden, one at Dear Mountain, and the last one in a Hwaseong Reed Field. For the video shooting in the East Sea area, we rented an underwater film studio to add underwater footage.
Whenever I participate in video production, I feel that this is not an easy task. First, we need to check various possible locations on the internet, then visit those sites to check on the conditions for shooting. And if it turns out to be a good place, we have to submit an official request to the managing office of the place and receive permission. Then we need to submit a request for drone flying to the military officers and the aviation office. When all the permissions are granted, it is time to pack our gear and depart before the break of day.
When we reach the location, we need to unload the video gear and carry it to the shooting site. While we install a Jimmy Jib, a drone, a gimbal, etc., the Golden Angels members do their makeup and get dressed by themselves. It usually takes about two hours to reach the location by car and another hour to install the video equipment. When all the preparation is done, we begin our video shooting. It generally takes about seven to eight hours to shoot the video. If the video shooting is not finished, we continue to shoot the following day.
The Golden Angels music video production requires good physical condition because it is usually done during the summer season. In spring, the new Golden Angels members receive training, and then it is time to record their music album. When the music recording is done, the recording is used for music video production. When we go to shoot the video in the summertime, the rainy season has often arrived with typhoons, strong winds, or cloudy skies. Otherwise, we are under the scorching sun. When we went to the East Sea area this summer, we experienced a typhoon, strong wind, rain, and the hot sun in one day.
After all this challenging work, the Media Center producers come back to the office with videos to do post-editing. They edit music videos cut by cut and add subtitles. We need to translate the English lyrics into the four languages which are used in the NSD territories—Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian. These subtitles are then proofread and corrected. The intro graphics are created, and the DVD or USB cover design is finished to be used for the final production for distribution. When everything is done, the music videos are finally released. They are usually distributed at the NSD meetings, evangelistic meetings, Golden Angels concerts, and other occasions. The videos are also uploaded on YouTube, reaching people all over the world.
Throughout the years, the Golden Angels’ music videos have been loved and cherished by millions of people around the globe. Whether they are young or old, they have expressed their gladness and joy toward these works. Our only hope is that through these music videos, our God's name will be glorified, and we will be able to continue to deliver the message of hope and love to the people.
